Medical Firsts
Innovations and Milestones That Changed the World
Will be published approx. on 19. February 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
248 pages
979-8-216-45217-1 (ISBN)
Description
Profiling 60 medical innovations and milestones from the 11th through 21st centuries, this book highlights the people and stories behind these key moments while also exploring their historical context and enduring legacy.
Medical Firsts: Innovations and Milestones That Changed the World brings together a carefully curated collection of turning points in the history of medicine over the last millennium. These firsts are drawn from a wide array of medical fields, from surgery to genetics, dentistry, and psychiatry. Firsts are arranged chronologically, but a thematic listing has also been included to allow readers to focus in on particular subject areas, such as trailblazing individuals, groundbreaking drugs and treatments, pioneering diagnostic tools, and life-saving medical procedures. Each entry begins with a description of how the first came to be, followed by discussion of the historical context in which it emerged and its continued impact on the world of medicine. Sources for further information are provided at the end of each entry and serve as a gateway to further study.
We take many modern medical devices and techniques for granted, but everything from hypodermic needles and baby incubators to organ transplants, antibiotics, and hearing aids began simply as ideas in someone's mind. And while such concepts as formal medical education, methodical clinical trials, and universal healthcare may seem commonplace today, this wasn't always the case. In some cases, milestones centered around key people and institutions rather than technologies or ideas. Do you know who the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was, or where the oldest medical school still in existence resides? Medical history comes to life in this captivating volume.
Medical Firsts: Innovations and Milestones That Changed the World brings together a carefully curated collection of turning points in the history of medicine over the last millennium. These firsts are drawn from a wide array of medical fields, from surgery to genetics, dentistry, and psychiatry. Firsts are arranged chronologically, but a thematic listing has also been included to allow readers to focus in on particular subject areas, such as trailblazing individuals, groundbreaking drugs and treatments, pioneering diagnostic tools, and life-saving medical procedures. Each entry begins with a description of how the first came to be, followed by discussion of the historical context in which it emerged and its continued impact on the world of medicine. Sources for further information are provided at the end of each entry and serve as a gateway to further study.
We take many modern medical devices and techniques for granted, but everything from hypodermic needles and baby incubators to organ transplants, antibiotics, and hearing aids began simply as ideas in someone's mind. And while such concepts as formal medical education, methodical clinical trials, and universal healthcare may seem commonplace today, this wasn't always the case. In some cases, milestones centered around key people and institutions rather than technologies or ideas. Do you know who the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was, or where the oldest medical school still in existence resides? Medical history comes to life in this captivating volume.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
College/higher education
Primary & secondary/elementary & high school
Illustrations
14 bw illus
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
377 gr
ISBN-13
979-8-216-45217-1 (9798216452171)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
06/2023
Bloomsbury Academic USA
€24.49
Available for download
Person
Tish Davidson is a medical writer specializing in making accurate technical information accessible and enjoyable for a general readership. She is the author of What You Need to Know about Diabetes (2020), The Vaccine Debate (2018), and Vaccines: History, Science, and Issues (2017), as well as numerous books for children.
Content
Chronological List of Firsts
Thematic List of Firsts
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Medical Firsts
1. First Medical School Still in Existence, 1088
2. First Successful Cesarean Operation, 1337
3. First Hospital in North America, 1524
4. First Documented Condom Use, 1562
5. First Wheelchair, 1595
6. First American Dentist, 1630
7. First Microbiologist, 1674
8. First Clinical Trial, 1747
9. First Female Doctor with a Full Medical Degree, 1754
10. First Publicly Funded American Psychiatric Hospital, 1773
11. First Vaccine, 1796
12. First Successful Human-to-Human Blood Transfusion, 1829
13. First University-Trained African American Doctor, 1837
14. First Hypodermic Needle, 1844
15. First Use of Anesthesia in Surgery, 1846
16. First International Health Organization, 1851
17. First Epidemiological Study, 1854
18. First Use of Antiseptic Spray, 1865
19. First Successful Brain Tumor Operation, 1879
20. First Baby Incubator, 1880
21. First Steps toward Universal Health Care, 1883
22. First Cancer Immunotherapy Treatment, 1891
23. First Successful Open Heart Surgery, 1893
24. First Breast Augmentation Surgery, 1893
25. First Medical X-ray, 1895
26. First Electric Hearing Aid, 1898
27. First Recognized Human Virus, 1900
28. First American Food and Drug Purity Laws, 1906
29. First Human Laparoscopy, 1910
30. First Vitamin Identified, 1912
31. First Country to Legalize Abortion, 1920
32. First Physical Therapy Organization, 1921
33. First Isolation and Purification of Insulin, 1922
34. First Antibiotic, 1928
35. First Gender Affirmation Surgery, 1930
36. First Successful Joint Replacement, 1940
37. First City with Fluoridated Water, 1945
38. First Woman to Win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1947
39. First FDA-Approved Chemotherapy Drug, 1949
40. First Drug to Treat Depression, 1952
41. First Automated Blood Counter, 1953
42. First Successful Human Organ Transplant, 1954
43. First Patient Treated with Ongoing Hemodialysis, 1960
44. First Oral Contraceptive, 1960
45. First Successful Human Xenotransplant, 1963
46. First Disease Cured Using Stem Cells, 1963
47. First Diagnostic Computed Tomography Scan, 1971
48. First Monoclonal Antibodies, 1975
49. First Sequencing of a DNA-Based Genome, 1977
50. First Magnetic Resonance Imaging of a Human, 1977
51. First Baby Born through In Vitro Fertilization, 1978
52. First Human Disease Eradicated Globally, 1980
53. First Robotic Surgery, 1985
54. First FDA-Approved Drug to Treat HIV/AIDS, 1987
55. First Laser Vision Corrective Surgery, 1988
56. First Mammal Cloned from an Adult Cell, 1996
57. First FDA-Approved Botanical Drug, 2006
58. First Country to Legalize Euthanasia, 2011
59. First 3D-Printed Prosthesis, 2012
60. Firsts of the Future
Index
Thematic List of Firsts
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Medical Firsts
1. First Medical School Still in Existence, 1088
2. First Successful Cesarean Operation, 1337
3. First Hospital in North America, 1524
4. First Documented Condom Use, 1562
5. First Wheelchair, 1595
6. First American Dentist, 1630
7. First Microbiologist, 1674
8. First Clinical Trial, 1747
9. First Female Doctor with a Full Medical Degree, 1754
10. First Publicly Funded American Psychiatric Hospital, 1773
11. First Vaccine, 1796
12. First Successful Human-to-Human Blood Transfusion, 1829
13. First University-Trained African American Doctor, 1837
14. First Hypodermic Needle, 1844
15. First Use of Anesthesia in Surgery, 1846
16. First International Health Organization, 1851
17. First Epidemiological Study, 1854
18. First Use of Antiseptic Spray, 1865
19. First Successful Brain Tumor Operation, 1879
20. First Baby Incubator, 1880
21. First Steps toward Universal Health Care, 1883
22. First Cancer Immunotherapy Treatment, 1891
23. First Successful Open Heart Surgery, 1893
24. First Breast Augmentation Surgery, 1893
25. First Medical X-ray, 1895
26. First Electric Hearing Aid, 1898
27. First Recognized Human Virus, 1900
28. First American Food and Drug Purity Laws, 1906
29. First Human Laparoscopy, 1910
30. First Vitamin Identified, 1912
31. First Country to Legalize Abortion, 1920
32. First Physical Therapy Organization, 1921
33. First Isolation and Purification of Insulin, 1922
34. First Antibiotic, 1928
35. First Gender Affirmation Surgery, 1930
36. First Successful Joint Replacement, 1940
37. First City with Fluoridated Water, 1945
38. First Woman to Win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1947
39. First FDA-Approved Chemotherapy Drug, 1949
40. First Drug to Treat Depression, 1952
41. First Automated Blood Counter, 1953
42. First Successful Human Organ Transplant, 1954
43. First Patient Treated with Ongoing Hemodialysis, 1960
44. First Oral Contraceptive, 1960
45. First Successful Human Xenotransplant, 1963
46. First Disease Cured Using Stem Cells, 1963
47. First Diagnostic Computed Tomography Scan, 1971
48. First Monoclonal Antibodies, 1975
49. First Sequencing of a DNA-Based Genome, 1977
50. First Magnetic Resonance Imaging of a Human, 1977
51. First Baby Born through In Vitro Fertilization, 1978
52. First Human Disease Eradicated Globally, 1980
53. First Robotic Surgery, 1985
54. First FDA-Approved Drug to Treat HIV/AIDS, 1987
55. First Laser Vision Corrective Surgery, 1988
56. First Mammal Cloned from an Adult Cell, 1996
57. First FDA-Approved Botanical Drug, 2006
58. First Country to Legalize Euthanasia, 2011
59. First 3D-Printed Prosthesis, 2012
60. Firsts of the Future
Index